Mary Lou 'hugely' impressed by community groups based in Columb Barracks

(Above) Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald, centre, and Deputy Sorca Clarke, left, with members of the CBRRC during his visit earlier today.

The Land Development Agency's plan for the regeneration of Columb Barracks must have the community groups currently based there at it centre.

That's according to Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald, who visited the barracks on this morning to meet members of the Columb Barracks Restoration and Regeneration Committee (CBRRC). During a walk around the barracks complex with her party colleague Deputy Sorca Clarke and members of the CBRRC, Deputy McDonald met representatives from some of the 26 community groups and six micro-enterprises currently operating from there, including the Order of Malta, the Mullingar EYE youth organisation and Music Generation.

Speaking to the Westmeath Examiner, Deputy McDonald said that she was “hugely” impressed by the work being done by the groups based in the barracks and that it is important that they they are an integral part of any future regeneration of the historic facility.

“There is an enormous opportunity here not just Mullingar, but the midlands and entire island. There is also a really nice ethic as well driving all of this work. It is very much about the community and also recognising the historic nature of this site..,,” she said.

The Sinn Féin leader added that while the provision of housing is an important aspect of the plan, the community dimension and the CBRRC's vision for the barracks are equally as important.

“I just think that it would be shameful to miss the opportunity that's here. There is a need for housing and we need to get that right. There is no point in putting houses in Mullingar that people can't afford, that they have no realistic option to buy , to stay in their home town or to come home. We need to get the housing right.

“...Everything can be housed here. It is really exciting and I was delighted to get a copy of the plan. I am going to go home and study it thoroughly,” she said.

Deputy Clarke said that while the CBRRC's plan is undoubtedly ambitious, “this is what we need in a place like this”.

“It has been described as a once in a lifetime opportunity. I don't agree with that. This is more important than once in a lifetime. These buildings have been here for 200 years. What we need to be asking ourselves is what we want this area to look like in another 200 years. What is the legacy that the we want to be leaving behind for future generations, whether it is our built historical infrastructure, whether it is meeting the community's needs, whether it is ensuring that the groups that we met here today have a viable future. But we need to ambitious with this. When you look at the size of Mullingar as a town and realise that there is no community centre. Settling for that fails our communities. It fails our local residents. It fails ourselves. We need to aim high. That's the level that we need to be at and it's the level our community deserve,” she said.

Deputy Clarke added that the LDA has to be willing to make “compromises” in its dealings with the CBRRC.

“One of the most impressive attributes of the committee that's here is their willingness to work with anybody. The willingness to discuss anything and that needs to be met by the LDA. That same attitude needs to be brought in to the discussion table from all sides to make this be the best it can possibly be.

“There is going to need to be compromises but the compromises need to be made on both sides of the table,” she said.